How all our lives have changed in just a few weeks! I am writing this update on Monday, April 13, 2020, and when I last wrote our Course Update (on March 16), we thought this would be just a few weeks of chillin’ at home. Well, it’s a bit more than that.
While I would love to not have Coronavirus take over this update, the reality is that it’s pretty much the story of the day, and all anyone has been asking me about for weeks… “How are things there?”
So, I’m going to answer that question as best I can, while giving you all a glimpse into our lives here in Santa Fe, NM during the Covid-19 quarantine.
Reality Check
Let me start by saying… we are all healthy here at home for which I’m very grateful. Beyond that, I’m even more grateful to specifically be here in New Mexico during this adventure. Honestly, I give a ton of credit to New Mexico governor, Michelle Lujan Grisham, who took action quickly to start social distancing requirements, close the schools, and shut down all non-essential businesses fairly early when the first cases started appearing in the state.
That said, we are now up to 1,345 confirmed cases in the state and 76 in Santa Fe county (Source: KOAT News updated April 13). However, there are likely a lot more cases than that since not everyone has been able to get tested. Although, even on that issue NM is doing better than many places. We are all under a stay-at-home order (NM’s version of a shelter-in-place order,) which is now projected to continue from March 24 – April 30, and I fully expect it will get extended again through mid-May at least.
So, for those of you reading this in places like New York, Massachusetts, Italy, or China, those New Mexico numbers may sound like child’s play… and comparatively, it is. After all, New York was reporting 800 deaths (not cases) per day just a few days ago (Source IMHE Website). New Mexico so far has had 31 deaths total from Covid-19, and most of them have been (sadly predictably) people in their 70’s- 90’s.
All this to say that before I paint a picture of our lives during quarantine, I want to fully acknowledge that we have been on the outskirts, experiencing a mild sprinkle compared to the hurricane force winds blowing through the lives of many others.
What Hasn’t Changed
Since both of us already worked remotely, our work life has been minimally impacted. I’m still meeting with clients via Skype, and primarily I’ve been finishing production and delivery of The Freedom Evolution program for our founding members. While we did hit a few Covid-related production delays, everyone has been very understanding and compassionate, and, as of today, the final course lessons have been released (only one week delayed from original plan.)
Brian’s work is similarly largely unaffected since he was working remotely already. It’s pretty much all just the same. Except now all of his coworkers are working remotely too. Personally, I fully expect that some of them will discover how nice it is to not to commute into Cambridge, MA every day after all of this comes to an end and request to switch to remote too. (We’ll see if I’m right in the upcoming months…)
What Has Changed
The biggest change to our daily life was caused by the closure of our Pumpkin’s school, which had happened just before my last update. Now, it’s confirmed that New Mexico schools will be closed for the remainder of the school year, and her daycare follows the NM school closings policies. So, we’ve been very grateful that we have found a nanny who’s willing to come over M-F from 9am -1pm and keep our Pumpkin entertained and learning while we work (more about that in just a bit.)
Honestly, it’s been working reasonably well, all things considered. In fact, although I know that she misses school and some of her friends, she’s been getting much better naps and overall been her usual happy, chipper self. I think she’s a bit confused why we don’t get to take our “adventures” as usual, and she was very distraught to find out that the local ice cream place was closed the one time we walked “down the hill” towards downtown on one of our afternoon walks. But, beyond that… there’s a simple joy to being 2-years-old and largely unaware of what’s happening outside.
Beyond juggling a bit more childcare time and shortened work days (which we’ve split between us, so it’s a shared challenge,) the biggest changes are what we’re not doing… no restaurants, no museums, no art galleries, and no walks around downtown. Pretty much we’ve only left the house to go two places: grocery shopping and picking up pizza (nope, our local favorite place doesn’t deliver.)
We tried once to grab curbside pickup from other local restaurants, but very few are open at all. Most places have simply closed down completely, and many have signs saying “See you in May!” So, pizza it is.
The truly biggest difference in our daily life… are the grocery runs. Since grocery shopping has long been “my job,” I’ve been observing the dramatic evolution of our shopping experience over the past month. From the initial panicked buying that resulted in many empty aisles, to the armed guard, to seeing about 95% of people (customers and employees) wearing masks.
While it’s been astonishing to watch this evolution, today’s grocery run was particularly surprising to me. For weeks, in an effort to find items that sell out quickly (as well as reduce my own potential exposure), I’ve moved my grocery runs to first thing when the stores open at 8am. Today, sporting my new DIY face mask, which was made by a friend in MA (and stuffed with a coffee filter layer… lacking anything more effective), I voyaged forth to see what I would find.
Unlike weeks ago, most of the aisles were reasonably well stocked with only a few high-demand items missing (TP, antibacterial wipes, hand sanitizer, flour, and yeast most notably.) When all of this started, I was astonished to see that it was the chips aisle that was largely devastated (in addition to the others above.) Now, the chips are fully stocked… as is the alcohol… which was another surprise to me since I would have thought there would be a giant run on that *LOL*.
However, what I found even more striking today was an observation that felt like a commentary on privilege and poverty. I started my shopping this morning at Whole Foods, where all the carts have been fully sanitized as you walk in, there’s an armed guard at the door, and every single employee was wearing a mask. Additionally, 95% of the customers were wearing masks as well… some just a scarf, others a “homemade” mask like mine, and others a full N-95 mask.
Then, I went venturing further to hunt for toilet paper… the holy grail of shopping runs these days, as many Americans have discovered. My second stop was at Smith’s, a local grocery chain that would be comparable to an IGA or Market Basket for those who may know those chains better. What astonished me? Barely a single employee was wearing a mask. Maybe 15% had scarves or bandanas tied around their faces, nor were most of the customers wearing anything better. It was a stark and striking contrast between the two experiences.
Since I unfortunately struck out on toilet paper on that stop, I decided to venture yet further and drive down to Target. That’s where I hit the jackpot and snagged a ginormous package of Charmin that should have us set for at least another 2-3 weeks. However, I was similarly surprised to see maybe 40% of the employees and customers at Target wearing masks… and most of them were really still just bandanas or scarves.
Now, while I could speculate on the reasons for such differences… I won’t. Whether it’s education and information, or access to resources and available cash to be able to purchase a proper mask (even a DIY version like mine), I definitely couldn’t say.
What I do know is that the Governor of NM has issued an order encouraging, if not requiring, everyone to wear masks in public places like grocery stores and post offices, so in the interest of my own family’s health (and my own)… I did. While I hope this will not be an extended reality, since I miss seeing people smile, I’m going to do what I can to make this shorter and easier for everyone by taking the recommended precautions.
Taking a Hike to the North Mountain
So, setting aside what we’ve been missing and what’s changed. Let’s talk about what our lives have been filled with. Fortunately, we are blessed to live on top of a hill across from Fort Marcy Park, so we have a great place to get outside and take a stroll while still observing all social distancing requirements.
Our Pumpkin, who’s a Frozen fan, has taken to calling them “hikes to the North Mountain” and explaining how she (Elsa) and I (Anna) are going through the desert to the North Mountain. The fact that there’s no desert in Frozen is irrelevant, but at least it shows that she’s been listening during our worldschooling unit on deserts, which is the focus of many of the library books that we are currently reading/stuck with at home right now.
We also have a small front yard, which has been plenty adequate to ensure our Pumpkin gets some time outside each day. Even with our surprise snow shower this morning… Ah well, it’s 4pm and almost all melted, so *shrug* no big deal.
Spring = Fun With Eggs
Probably the highlight of the past few weeks was our Ostara celebration (Spring Equinox,) when our Pumpkin put on her spring dress (which still *barely* fit from last spring) and was excited to see that the bunny came to leave her a bunch of eggs in our yard.
Oh, the joy of a toddler collecting plastic eggs (which I had blessedly purchased several weeks in advance); then opening all of them and sticking ALL 50+ stickers inside on her dress!
Then, a few days later, we spent some time dyeing real eggs for the first time. She was too little last year to appreciate it, so we didn’t bother. That too was a big hit, and fortunately, she was equally willing to peel and eat them in the days that followed.
Developing Our Worldschooling Strategy
Honestly, now that I’m getting to the other side of my big course development, launch, and delivery (which has been my primary work for almost a year now,) I’m looking forward to figuring out some even better strategies for our approach to Worldschooling.
Since our little Pumpkin isn’t even 3 yrs old yet, basically no one official cares what we do regarding her education yet. Which is exactly why I’m happy to start figuring it out now. My theory is if we work out our approach to developing curriculum and maintaining records now when no one cares or is watching, then by the time she’s at an age where someone might care we’ll have it so solid and streamlined that no one will have any reason to complain or argue ;).
So, what are we doing? Basically, we’re aiming for activities each day that hit the big five categories for preschool/toddler development: Gross motor, fine motor, language, cognitive, and social/emotional. With my big course development project taking center stage, over the past months I’ve generally just focused on two things:
- Collecting a bunch of good ideas for easy toddler activities on Pinterest that require minimal prep or supplies and pulling together our small kit of supplies that can be highly versatile for a bunch of different activities (which I wrote about in my last Course Update.)
- Writing daily notes about what she did that day that hits any of the big five categories. The purpose of these notes is largely to build the habit of tracking her education for myself, since these records are probably never going to matter to anyone but us. Once I’ve gotten our paperless education tracking system a bit more streamlined, then I will likely write about it in a future Course Update. If you’re curious about our early versions, then DM me.
That said we’ve done a bunch of fun activities!
Recently, the biggest hit has been baking! Last week alone we made: mixed berry scones, cookies, homemade bread, and blueberry pancakes. Each time she’s been excited to stand up on the step stool and help by holding the measuring cup or spoon while I pour out different ingredients. Then, she dumps them into the bowl and helps to stir… or wipes up the counter when stuff gets spilled (inevitably).
Of course the real hit is getting to eat whatever treat we make, but I’ll admit… I really love getting to bake with my Pumpkin. Since I’ve been a baker for years, this is a parenting experience that I’ve been hoping for and looking forward to… and finally she has the attention span and interest to share it with me.
Now, just to make sure you don’t get the wrong idea… we’ve definitely been doing more than our fair share of screen time too. Nope, not “perfect” and never will be. But, I am pleased that she seems almost as happy to play some of the educational games on her iPad as to curl up and watch Moana for the 20th time. So, I think overall we’re doing just fine.
What’s Next
Now, the big question that many people have been asking us is: “What are your plans and how are they getting impacted by all this Covid quarantine stuff?”
We had already planned to be in Santa Fe through the end of April, but as we started getting clear that this wasn’t likely to be all over by May, then we saw clearly that our planned trip back to New England was likely not going to happen. So, we have cancelled our plans for returning to MA this spring, and instead we’re waiting to hear from our host if she’s had more cancellations in May/June.
We have already extended our planned stay here through May 16th, but our current hope is to simply extend our stay all the way until mid/late June. In fact, if our plan A of getting to stay exactly here in this condo for the additional time doesn’t work out, then we’re planning to look around at the other local furnished rental/Airbnb listings and find another local place here in Santa Fe that can work.
That will allow us to just move “across town” in a few car trips and keep our stocked pantry, desks, and childcare arrangement in place. If for some reason that doesn’t work out, then we’re also in touch with our upcoming host in Portland, Oregon, and we may simply move there earlier.
I am working under the assumption that whenever we leave we’ll need to self-quarantine for at least 2 weeks upon arriving, which likely means that I’m taking a 2-3 week vacation from work since we won’t have childcare during that time. So, at the moment, we’re still waiting and hoping for some cancellations to come through. However, by the time of our next Course Update, I should be able to tell you what the May/June plan has become.
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